Ally_Dawson
Ally Dawson
Scottish footballer and manager (1958–2021)
Alistair John Dawson (25 February 1958 – 26 July 2021) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent most of his career at Rangers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alistair John Dawson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-02-25)25 February 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Johnstone, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 26 July 2021(2021-07-26) (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Johnstone, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1987 | Rangers | 218 | (6) |
| 1987–1990 | Blackburn Rovers | 40 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Limerick | 3 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Airdrieonians | 10 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | St. Andrews | 6 | (0) |
| 1993–1995 | Dingli Swallows | 14 | (3) |
| Total | 277 | (7) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1983 | Scotland | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1991–1992 | St. Andrews | ||
| 1999–2002 | Hamilton Academical | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
In 2011, Dawson was inducted into Rangers' Hall of Fame.[2]
Dawson was signed as a sixteen-year-old in 1975 by manager Jock Wallace Jr. and made his debut in a pre-season tour in Canada. He was a full back who could play on either side of the pitch.
He sustained a serious injury during a club tour of Canada, when he fractured his skull. He recovered, and became a centre back. He made a total of 316 appearances for Rangers, scoring eight goals. He received two Scottish Cup winner's medals, in 1979 and 1981, and four League Cup winner's medals – in 1979, 1984, 1985 and 1987. He was capped five times by Scotland, all while at Rangers.[3]
After 12 years at the club, Dawson left Rangers for Blackburn Rovers in 1987 for £25,000, equivalent to £88,821 in 2023. He signed for Limerick in 1990 and returned to Scotland later that season with Airdrie, before becoming player/manager of Maltese league club Luxol St. Andrews. He later also played for Dingli Swallows, another Maltese team, in their historic 1994/1995 season in First Division.[4][5]
Dawson went on to manage Hamilton Academical for a three-year spell between 1999 and 2003 where he won the Scottish Third Division title.
As manager
Hamilton Academical
- "Ally Dawson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- "Hall of Fame inductees". Rangers Football Club. Rangers.co.uk. 5 March 2014.
- "Ally Dawson". londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- "Former Luxol St Andrews coach Ally Dawson dies". Times of Malta. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- "Dingli Swallows FC on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022.[user-generated source]
- "Ally Dawson Obituary". Rangers Football Club. 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- "Ally Dawson: Former Rangers and Scotland player dies aged 63". BBC Sport. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- Ally Dawson at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Ally Dawson at the Scottish Football Association
